Review

Fucked Up's fundamental anxiety complex boils down to feeling rather guilty about being successful. Where the hardcore group once kneeled at the altar of Minor Threat and other such proud underachievers, being successful was not a merit but something to be ashamed of, as so to imply success only came in sacrificing core values or experimentation. Pink Eyes' complex divulgence of worth and relationships on David Comes to Life was a conflict of these basic factors; even though the band as a whole managed to achieve unanimous praise and enormous success, there remained a question mark hanging over how to deal with this sudden success in an appropriate and tasteful manner. On the title track of David...'s follow-up, Pink Eyes' doesn't hesitate to lament his fear of growing up- ergo, streamlined and ready for the consumer, Glass Boys is thrown kicking and screaming into the world.

Accusations of 'going mainstream' or 'selling-out' are asinine yet understandable- at just 10 tracks, Glass Boys is a far more inviting proposition to newcomers than dense masterpiece David Comes to Life or even this years Year of the Dragon EP. Thankfully however, signature Fucked Up remains intact; melodic and uplifting instrumentals back Pink Eyes' unhinged yelling and screaming with "Echo Boomer" foreshadowing little change in pace or tenacity. When the pace does eventually break up, such as on the middle section of "The Art of Patrons" where the sound shifts to a far more melodic vocal section, the band exhibit a far better concern for their music- one where they are comfortable to not rock the boat but instead simply get into it and pen a great song. More impressive is when it's immediately sat next to the crushing thrasher "Warm Change", assisting the eb and flow of an album heavy on juxtaposing the darkness of glaring into the abyss with the joy that comes from careless abandon.

After all, Fucked Up have made a point of questioning not only their success but how others percieve it- the sonic impact seems to be one of knowing the path is paved in darkness and simply not giving a shit about it. Generally, sonic variance isn't popular here beyond shifting takes on thrash and melodic riffs, but it doesn't need to be, especially when the likes of "DET" and "Sun Glass" bear repeated listens just to hear a little more of those crushing vocals and walls of beautiful, 3-axe guitar-work.

So powerful is the bands presence that the guess spots seem almost redundant to the highly personal subject matter and concise delivery. Blink and you'll miss them; necks snapping, J Mascis and George Pettit pop up momentarily to harshen the whiplash but are rarely ever neccessary. It's not an insult but a testament to Fucked Up's brutality in itself, hardly ruining the affair, rather appearing unnecessarily for the sake of 'presentation' over design

Still, Fucked Up are undoubtedly the masters at juxtaposing the brutality of a hydrogen bomb with the beauty of a butterfly caught in the breeze, with Glass Boys serving now as an entry point for their far more complicated opus David Comes to Life and the Zodiac series. Still an acquired taste, Fucked Up shouldn't feel guilty that they have streamlined their craft but instead seize the opportunity they have been given to deliver an enigmatic sound to such a wide audience. The only thing left to do now is to go and get Fucked.